Storing Rice and Flour

... and other dry goods

Storing flour in Mylar bags and then in plastic (lidded) bins

A visitor to our site asked: "I'm interested in storing rice and flour...and dry beans.

Can you store these dry goods? And—if so—how?"

My short answer: "Yes."

Now for the longer answer of "how to"!

In the photo above, you'll see I've got flour stored in Mylar bags, and then I put them in the large plastic-lidded bins when I need to store these items for the long term.

Even though the flour, rice, and beans are "dry" to begin with, if you're interested in storing these items safely, then follow the vacuuming-sealing method used when storing your dehydrated foods.

We're all about protecting our foods from the three enemies:

  • Light
  • Air
  • Moisture

I still strongly advise you to add an oxygen absorber into the individual vacuum-sealer bags before vacuum-sealing the air out, as they keep mold growth at bay.

Adding the oxygen absorber will also protect your flour and rice from insect damage, too.




Use an Oxygen Absorber in Jars, Bags, and Buckets

100cc Oxygen Absorbers, 100-pk on Easy Food Dehydrating

Click the RED WORDS to see the Oxygen Absorbers on Amazon.com

PackFreshUSA: 200 Pack - 50cc Oxygen Absorber Packs - Food Grade - Non-Toxic - Food Preservation - Long-Term Food Storage Guide Included
PackFreshUSA: 200 Pack - 50cc Oxygen Absorber Packs - Food Grade - Non-Toxic - Food Preservation - Long-Term Food Storage Guide Included

50cc Oxygen Absorbers

  • PackFreshUSA Oxygen Absorbers
  • 200-Pack
  • Food-Grade, Non-Toxic
Oxy-Sorb 100cc Oxygen Absorber Packets, 100 Pack - Long Term Food Storage Freshness Protection13%
Oxy-Sorb 100cc Oxygen Absorber Packets, 100 Pack - Long Term Food Storage Freshness Protection
$14.99 ($0.15 / Count)

100cc Oxygen Absorbers

  • Oxy-Sorb Oxygen Absorbers
  • 100-Pack
  • Long-Term Food Storage Freshness Protection
Oxy-Sorb 60-300cc Oxygen Absorbers for Long Term Food Storage (Bags of 20), ‎300CC-S20-3PK Blue
Oxy-Sorb 60-300cc Oxygen Absorbers for Long Term Food Storage (Bags of 20), ‎300CC-S20-3PK Blue

300cc Oxygen Absorbers

  • Oxy-Sorb Oxygen Absorbers
  • Bags of 20 (60 Count total)
  • Super Effective for Dried Goods
2000cc Oxygen Absorber - Pack of 10
2000cc Oxygen Absorber - Pack of 10

2000cc Oxygen Absorbers

  • Oxy-Sorb Oxygen Absorbers
  • Pack of 10
  • I use these for airtight bins and buckets

* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase.

Oxygen absorber sizes range in sizes from 50cc, 100cc, 300cc to a whopping 2000cc!

Why is there such a size range? When using smaller Mason jars, a 50cc oxygen absorber is ideal. For a larger quart-size Mason jar, then a 100cc size will be fine.

Store for Medium-Term Usage in Mason Jars

If you live in a humid area and are thinking of storing rice and flour to keep the dry goods dry, then try using Mason jars for rice and flour canisters for, yes, flour.

These are ideal for those who use rice on a weekly basis.

Mason jars are too small for flour, Of course, you can use flour canisters or bins which are available at specialty kitchen goods stores.

You can add an oxygen absorber in the Mason jar along with the rice - the primary job of an oxygen absorber "is" to absorb oxygen, as the name implies.

I wouldn't bother adding an oxygen absorber into the big flour bins IF you are in and out of the flour bin on a regular basis.

IF you're not in the flour bin more than once or twice a month, then by all means pop in a massive 2000cc oxygen absorber and put the lid on it. Doing so will help keep moisture and bugs at bay.

Storing Rice and Flour in Bins and Buckets

Plastic Lidded storage bins

This is one of the bins I showed at the top of the page, with its lid. Its purpose is to store vacuum-packed and sealed Mylar bags that contain our dehydrated foods - not massive bins full of loose dehydrated foods!

These bins ARE NOT airtight due to their handles, so don't bother using an oxygen absorber in one.

You can get these plastic-lidded bins at Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowe's or—yes, you guessed it—from Amazon online. Amazon has everything. You knew that.

Storing Rice and Flour in Air-tight Buckets
Suitable for Storing Salt and Sugar Too

5-gallon #2 feed buckets with lids

If you're looking for air-tight storage, use feed buckets with lids.

Use 2000cc oxygen absorbers in buckets; they're perfect for this as they really ARE air-tight.

Check out these buckets at a 'Tractor Supply' website.

We also have a similar post that mentions how to store salt and sugar.

Visit Storing Dehydrated Food and Storing Dry Goods such as flour, salt, and sugar.




Where To Store Bins and Buckets?

Great question! Look, I know it's hard to find space in closets, but they are ideal. Why? They are dark (so that keeps direct light off your dry goods. Both the bins and buckets are great for stacking, too.

Check out this "how to create storage out of thin air" post where I go into detail on how to add storage on a blank wall - if you've run out of closets.

Don't Make Your Stack Top Heavy!

Put the heavier goods at the bottom of the pile so they're not "top heavy." They hurt when they fall on you. Ask me know I know. Ouch.

You can safely stack around 5 plastic-lidded bins and about 4 buckets in a tower. I could only manage 4 buckets because I'm only a tad over five feet tall and it's too hard for me to reach them!

Again, keep the heavier buckets on the bottom.

These bins and buckets really don't take up too much room in the closet. I look at it this way: you can eat dehydrated food and beans, but you can't eat clothes.

Other folks like to store their bins and buckets filled with dehydrated goodies in their garage, but please beware of extreme heat and extreme cool temperatures.

Thanks for stopping by to read about storing rice and flour... and other dry goods!


Easy Food Dehydrating and Safe Food Storage by Susan GastREAD MORE

20 Taste-Tested Easy Recipes eBookREAD MORE

How to Dehydrate Food ... Top 20 Topics ... over 225 Questions AnsweredREAD MORE

Make Nutritious Dog FoodREAD MORE

More Good Stuff to Read!


Susan Gast, owner of Easy Food Dehydrating plus ePubTechReviews.com, and SusanGast.com

Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010.

Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."

She is featured on the Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It! (SBI!) who hosts this site. Read her first SBI! interview and her second SBI! interview.

Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create ePubTechReviews which reviews a variety of products related to the publishing industry - if you're at all interested in AI and self-publishing. The website is also hosted by Solo Build It!

Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It! that showcases the books she has written since 2012.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!